Day 1: | Depart Keflavik
Embark your ship in the port of Keflavik and begin your circumnavigation of Iceland (please contact us to arrange your flights; prices from £197.00 per person, including taxes). Sail north to the Snaefellsnes Peninsula, which is crowned by a beautiful snow-capped volcanic cone, and stands 1442m high. In the mellow evening light (at this time of year it is light all night!) watch for whales. |
Day 2: | Flatey & Klofningur Islands
Arrive in Breidafjordur and keep an eye out for the white-tailed eagle that soars high above these historic islands; it is from here that Erik the Red set sail to discover Greenland. Land on Flatey Island and explore this delightful fishing village. Here you may see black guillemots, puffins, common eiders and red-necked phalaropes. Later we land on Klofningur, a basalt island with breeding shags, fulmars and great black-backed gulls. Zodiacs will be launched to cruise the cliffs and sea caves of Látrabjarg, at the westernmost point of Iceland. See the world's largest razorbill colony, Iceland’s most extensive bird cliffs are 14km long and rise to over 400m in height. |
Day 3: | Isafjordur Peninsula & Hornstrandir Nature Reserve
Explore the Isafjordur Peninsula, geologically the oldest region in Iceland, its imposing basalt mountains scoured out by Ice Age glaciers. Sailing into Adalvik in the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve one can’t help but admire this beautiful, sheltered fjord where fauna and flora thrive on a scale unknown in other parts of Iceland. Sailing along the Hornstrandir Peninsula, we aim to land at Hornvik, where you can follow an old path, used by fowlers, to reach the top of 300m high Hornbjarg. From the dizzy heights of this cliff marvel at one of the biggest seabird colonies in Iceland, with tens of thousands of Brünnich's guillemots and kittiwakes. |
Day 4: | Pack-ice at sea or Isafjordur Peninsula
Weather and ice conditions permitting we will sail towards the edge of the East Greenland pack-ice, to spend some time in and near the ice. During 24 hours at sea, there will be plenty of time to watch for the spout of large whales, and to observe the northern migration of skuas and other Arctic birds. If we sail along the pack ice edge, you may also see harp seals. If the pack-ice is more than 100 nautical miles north of Iceland we will land at the east side of the Isafjordur Peninsula in Furufjördur, Tharalátursfjördur and Reykjafjördur, where you can view the glacier Drangajökull. Hike from one fjord to the next on an old trail with cairns. In Furufjördur you will find bogs and lakes, and in Reykjafjördur hot pools, in which you can take a bath. |
Day 5: | Kolbeinsey & Grimsey Islands
Weather permitting, sail past Kolbeinsey island, formed from a volcanic submarine eruption. Later we land on Grimsey, the only part of Iceland which lies within the Arctic Circle (the Circle crosses the island). The island is home to huge colonies of kittiwakes, razorbills, puffins, fulmars and Arctic terns, along with just 100 human inhabitants. Admire seabirds from the water on a Zodiac cruise along the western cliffs. Later we may sail along the bird cliffs of Raudinupur. |
Day 6: | Heradssandur & Borgarfjördur
If weather allows, go ashore on the wild and windswept volcanic sands of Heradssandur. On the marshlands whooper swans, greylag geese, and several species of ducks and skuas breed. The sea near the mouth of the river is teeming with harbour seals. Visit Borgarfjördur, a small friendly village, where people work on the precious stone, Jasper. If the conditions at Heradssansur are poor we will land instead at Alftavik, in the natural harbour Lotna, where people lived until 1904. |
Day 7: | Skrudur & Papey Bird Islands
Heading down Iceland’s east coast we reach Skrudur, a bird island 160 m high, where we will cruise around in Zodiacs and enter a huge cave. Later, sail to Papey, where Irish monks made a living in the 9th century. This beautiful, now uninhabited island is home to thousands of puffins and other seabirds. |
Day 8: | Westman Islands
Land on Heimaey, an important fishing port and the only permanent community in the Westman Islands. A short walk allows us to see the remains of the surprise 1973 eruption, which destroyed one third of the town. A highlight will be the multitude of puffins that breed along the grassy cliff tops and are still harvested annually by the locals. After leaving Heimaey we will unload the Zodiacs to cruise among the other Westman Islands. We will circumnavigate Surtsey, an island born in 1964 from volcanic activity, as well as Sulnasker and Hellisey, home to large breeding populations of northern gannets. |
Day 9: | Arrive Keflavik
After breakfast we disembark in Keflavik, following which there is a group transfer to the airport (please contact our team regarding a quotation for return flights from UK to Reykjavik, or the possibility of an extended stay in Iceland). |
Note: | Please note all itineraries are for guidance only. Programmes may vary depending on local weather conditions and in order to take advantage of opportunities to see wildlife. Flexibility is paramount for wildlife expedition cruises. |